Chapter Text
Izuku clamped his shaking hands over his mouth, stopping his wet rattling breaths.
That’s Kacchan!
The villain that attacked him earlier that day was enveloping his classmate and friend, strangling him, and possessing his body.
This is all my fault!
The thought shocked through his body more intense than the power he felt radiating off of All Might when he clung to his pant leg. This was all his fault. If he hadn’t been so stupid and desperate, All Might would have been able to turn in the villain no problem. If he hadn’t exhausted his time limit by being a helpless weakling, All Might would be here now, saving the day like always.
I ruin everything.
His body was frozen, his eyes glued to the scene in front of him, stuck motionless and frantic. Kacchan lifted his gaze through the haze of smoke he created. They locked eyes. He looked. . . unlike any version of Kacchan that Izuku has ever imagined. His eyes were fixed in a panicky wide-eyed gaze that was oddly familiar, and yet still so different from his norm. Izuku realized he had seen that look before, on his own face, in the bathroom mirror.
I’VE GOT TO SAVE HIM!!
Without another thought, Izuku’s feet shot out in front of him, and he was sprinting past the crowd, past the heroes, past the safety line made with Water Hose’s quirk, oblivious to the shouting behind him. The words “SAVE HIM SAVE HIM SAVE HIM SAVE HIM” were echoing through his mind like the clang of a gong. His lungs contracted painfully, and he wheezed shuddering breaths as he ran forward.
Thinking back to hero fights and combat strategies, Izuku swung his bag around and slammed it in the Sludge Villain’s eye.
“AARRRGGGHHH! I’ll get you for that brat!”
Kacchan’s face had been released from the villain’s grasp, and he gasped for breath before shouting “DEKU! What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” Explosions sounded around Deku and harsh, wet, painful coughs wracked his body, but SAVE HIM SAVE HIM SAVE HIM was still screaming through his head. Teary eyed and shaking to his very core, he choked out in a raspy voice the only explanation of which he was capable.
“I couldn’t just stand there and watch you die.”
The sludge villain reared back, throwing Deku aside, and enveloped Kacchan in a thin layer of his sludge. Kacchan’s screams were muffled but his explosions tore through the villain’s slime, making thick smoke and steam, and blasted outwards. A small raspy voice yelped in the cloud of vapor.
“FEAR NOT YOUNG MAN!” A boisterous voice boomed through the commotion, and a blurred fist blasted through the sludge
“FOR I AM HERE!”
Izuku’s thoughts were muddled as his consciousness faded.
All Might's here. . .
Save him. . . .
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Bakugou Katsuki watched Deku run forward like an idiot to save him, watched his body get thrown back, flopping limp onto the scorched, slime-splattered asphalt. He would never admit it, but when he heard the fearless voice of his idol call out through the chaos of what had shaped up to be the worst day of his life, he had never been so relieved.
All Might swung his huge fist, yelling his trademark “TEXAS SMAAAASH!”, and completely obliterated the villain. His viscous body could not withstand the immense force, and he scattered to the winds. For a moment, Katsuki was sure he would be swept up in the blast too, but a meaty fist clenched in his shirt collar, and he curled into a ball and clung to the road.
The silence that fell was deafening in his still-ringing ears. The smoke and fire had been completely blown away, and the sky was blue again for a few moments. Katsuki’s eyes laid on the Deku’s prone form. The sky darkened. Rain fell.
The crowd of useless extra’s cheered for All Might and screamed some crap about miracles and changing weather. The nerd still hadn’t moved. All Might stuck his large hands under Katsuki’s armpits and lifted him to stand on his shaky legs.
“Fear not young man, the danger is gone! You are safe now, because I am here!” Katsuki twitched, eyes still locked on Deku’s body- He’s sleeping, he’s just asleep. All Might followed his gaze and walked over to Deku. The first responders had already started gathering the slime up in heavy duty garbage bags. The extras still hadn’t shut up.
All Might reached down and nudged at Deku. “Get up young man, it’s all right now.” Deku still didn’t move. All Might pushed harder, shifting his body. He gently slapped at his still cheek. Deku’s mouth fell open.
Rage flooded through Katsuki quicker than blinking. He stormed forward and grabbed Deku by his stupid weak shoulders and shook him.
“Get the hell up you stupid piece of shit! The fucker didn’t even touch you!”
Katsuki watched with mounting fury as his useless body just flopped in his hands. All Might pushed him back and EMTs rushed forward. The extras stopped all their damn annoying praise and turned to look at Katsuki when he screamed, “Stop messing around you idiot! All Might’s here, you’re fucking fine!”
He still didn’t move.
The ringing got louder and louder in Katsuki’s ears. He barely managed to hear mumbled statements from the EMTs, “no pulse,” “not breathing,” “unresponsive. . .”
He didn’t look as they strapped Deku’s corpse into a gurney, didn’t think about it as he climbed in the back of the ambulance with Deku’s lifeless body, didn’t know if anyone tried to stop him. He didn’t care either.
He was sitting in the waiting room of the hospital when Inko stormed through.
“Let me see him! My son! Please, please, my baby, he’s just a boy please!” Her face was almost unrecognizable. She looked alien in her grief. Katsuki didn’t know that he looked alien too. Blank faced and quiet.
His parents followed soon after, crying just like Inko. They hugged him, held him in shaky arms and told him in wavering voices, “It’s not your fault, please Katsuki, know it’s not your fault. We love you so much, we’re so glad you’re alright.”
He let them. He didn’t push away or scowl or bark at them to leave him the hell alone already like he knew he usually did. He closed his eyes and let them hold him.